Glenda Feeken - Come Live and Play on the Kenai

The Fourth of JulyIndependence Dayis a great time to reflect on how lucky we are to live in the United States of America, and what we can do to make our nation better, stronger, and more prosperous. As President Kennedy famously said many years ago, Ask what you can do for your country.

Wed all like to do our part. But our individual efforts sure seem small compared with the goings-on of world politics and global economies.

How can weaverage American home ownersreally achieve big goals, such as influencing national energy policy and building a strong economy? After all, weve got our own daily stuff to deal with: work,home repairs, getting the kids to softball practice, and the dog to the vet.

One good way is to reduce energy consumption in our own homes. This simple act can have a major impact. Not just in terms of helping hold the line on thefamily budget, but in slowing the ever-spiraling costs of energy. Lessening demandeven incrementallyeases the price of energy, which can free up capital that creates jobs and helps get our economy kicking.

Here are examples of small contributions you can make that add up:

• Ask cable or satellite providers for an energy-efficient set-top box, (the device that receives and dispatches TV signals to your DVR). Set-top boxes, which run 24 hours a day, have become a leading energy drain in the home. NewerEnergy Star-rated modelsare at least 30% more efficient. If all set-top boxes sold in the U.S. were Energy Star-rated, energy savings would total $2 billion each year, and greenhouse gases would be reduced by an amount equivalent to 3 million cars and trucks.
• Replacing an old, kaput dishwasher with anEnergy Star-qualified model cuts the annual energy cost of the machine by 50%to $60 from $120. If everyclothes washer purchased in the U.S. this year were an efficient Energy Star model, the national energy savings would total $350 million, not to mention conserving 32 billion gallons of water.
• Buying a high-efficiency gas or electric water heater, when yours reaches the end of its useful life, saves 3% to 4% on the average homes hot water bill. Energy standards enacted by the U.S. Dept. of Energy in 2010 were designed to cut energy usage of new water heaters by 3% to 4%. Over a 30-year period, U.S. consumers should save$8.7 billionand reduce CO2 emissions by 170 million tonsthats equal to the yearly emissions of 30 million cars.
• Replacing a 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a 13-watt compact fluorescent equivalent saves $30 over the life of the bulb. Alternative: LED bulbs, although costly ($30 for 7-watts), last 3 to 4 times longer than CFLs, burn cooler, andunlike CFLscontain no mercury. If every home in America replaced just oneincandescent bulbwith an Energy Star-qualified CFL, the savings would be enough to light more than 3 million homes. The savings would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by fossil-fuel energy production equivalent to 800,000 autos.

More easy ways to be patriotic (and save):

• Create a breeze with aceiling faninstead of using the AC. For every degree you raise the air conditioning thermostat above 78 degrees, you can save 3% to 8% on cooling costs.
• Install aprogrammable thermostatand save as much as $180 per year.
• Plump upattic insulationfrom R-11 to R-49 and save up to $600 per year.
• Turn down the thermostat on yourrefrigeratorand save $22 per year.
• Outsmart sneakyenergy vampiresby turning off (or putting to sleep) computers, printers, and other electronics when not in use: Shave another $100 from your annual energy bill.

Lets put the independence in Independence Day.

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Visit HouseLogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS.